Purification for a Miko
by Horosha
Summary: Hino Rei must go through a purification ritual so she can return to her duties as a shrine maiden at her grandfather's shrine.


1Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the property of Naoke Takeuchi, Kodansha Lts and Toei Animation, so I have no interest in making any money. The character Dejana Talis and Sailor Infinity is the property of Dejana Talis and appeared here by her permission.

Notes: when Dejana accepted me as one of her beta-readers for Sailor Moon Eternity, I felt like I wanted to give her as much information and support as I could give. Dejana purpose of accepting me was to find someone with an understanding of Nihonjin culture as well as someone familiar with the manga version of Sailor Moon. My help began with Chapter Five of SME and my enthusiasm for her work was high, so high that I wanted to give her something special, something that would fulfill my role as source for Nihonjin culture and to show my passion for her work, so when she mentioned that she wouldn't mind me designing a Shinto ritual for her use later in the series, I was inspired to write this story while cramming into it as much Nihonjin culture as I could, the result was this story, "Purification for a Miko." When I sent it to Dejana, I wasn't sure of what response I was going to get so I was greatly surprised by her wanting to have my story as a side story, something that would happening between Book One and Book Two of SME. The story would have to be rewritten by me to fit into SME storyline but I was just ecstatic with Dejana's offer, so I sat on pins and needles waiting for more chapters of SME to come to me so I could reward Dejana's kindness with hard work.

Then came "Against All Odds," Dejana had a lightning stoke of inspiration and began an alternate universe SM series. Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed this series, the other SM stories Dejana has written and all the other projects she is doing for the SM community, but as SME was put further and further on the backburner, I felt . . . I felt left out. I'm not her beta-reader for any of her other stories but truthfully she doesn't need me for these other projects, her writing skills have improved so much that the scope of aid I could give her is very limited, I could still help her with SME but only because of its own focus, so I sat and waited for Dejana to come back to SME.

Then I saw Dejana was thinking of abandoning SME altogether and I felt orphaned, although it is not my place to say what Dejana should or shouldn't do, SME is her baby after all, not mine nor should I placed such feelings upon it in the first place but I did, I wanted so much to see what the rest of SME would read but I must be honest, I also wanted a chance to put my creative juices to work and rewrite PFM, to feel like I did something with Dejana. Now Dejana is saying she is thinking of rewriting SME again, mainly the prologue and maybe the chapters that she has already posted. Maybe she will, maybe she won't, that is her choice to make, not mine and maybe I'll get a chance to rewrite PFM so it will be a part of her grand series and maybe I won't, maybe I take things too seriously.

So now I'm posting PFM as an inspired work but I must point out that it is based on the first five chapters of SME, it doesn't contain any spoilers for SME, I made calculated guesses as to how SME would turn out when I wrote it and so I'm probably wrong about many things. So I can only ask you to take this story as it is, a story inspired by another story, placed in the time and place of the SM world, nothing more, nothing less.

Purification for a Miko

A story based on "Sailormoon Eternity" by Dejana Talis

Dejana Tailis' story can be found at this address: 

Dedication: This story is dedicated to Naoke Takeuchi and Dejana Talis, since this story couldn't have been written without their creativity.

Depending on the day of the year, a causal observer or a passing tourist would find different reasons for his attention to be drawn to the Hikawa Jinja, in the spring it would be the pink canopy of its abundant sakura trees that made the shrine live up to its name's meaning, the Shrine of the Circle of Fire, in the summer it was the cool shadow of these same trees gave comfort to the city denizens, in the fall those trees gave protection from the heavy rains, and in the winter its abundance of snow reminded the people of a much simpler time when the prayers of the Hikawa fire priest or priestess would keep alit the fires in everyone's homes, from the emperor's castle to the fisherman's hovel.

For this day it was early April, just a few days before the Sakura Festival that was held at Hikawa Jinja, every year young female virgins would carry branches of sakura blossoms in a slow procession from the stone staircase to the haiden hall (hall of worship), there the youths would place their offerings on the altar, clap their hands three times and give silent prayers of thanks to Homusubi, kami of fire. Already the buildings of the jinja had been given a fresh coat of paint and the grounds clean up which is a major accomplishment, besides the haiden hall there were three other buildings, the careful pruning of the sacred cherry tree near the honden hall (hall of the kami), the repair work to the honden hall because of an accidental fire, and the cleaning of the sacred pool located in the back of the shrine, it was usually done last because few worshipers visit it but the spring water that bubbled up out of the ground was piped with hollow bamboo to the front of the shrine so people could purify themselves before making their presence known to the kami.

For the past two years things had gotten interesting for the guji (chief priest) of Hikawa Jinja, although his jinja had a steady stream of worshipers and curious tourists, the old man with graying hair and a thick mustache found his life brightened by the sparkle and liveliness of his granddaughter's friends, but even with the coming of the festival, the man in his priestly grab didn't really feel that festive. Although the fire did insignificant damage to the honden hall and the sacred flame hadn't gone out when the firemen saved the building, his granddaughter was caught in those flames and while the loss of some of her dark violet hair was the only physical damage she suffered, the psychological scars were even visible to his aging eyes. Try as they might, her friends couldn't help his beautiful Rei to heal her inner wounds, each day after school she would change into her white kimono, her red hakama and her red obi that made up her miko (shrine maiden) uniform but she wouldn't enter the honden hall, she wouldn't mediate before the sacred fire. He could understand her reluctance to enter a place where she almost died, but the fear he saw in Rei's dark eyes whenever she walked by the entrance to the honden hall and the angry tone he would hear in her voice when a visitor asked a question about the fire kami, the same icy resonance she would use when talking about her father, he was worried his miko was on the verge of losing her faith and without that faith, her grandfather feared she would become a lost soul.

As one of the oldest Shinto priests in Tokyo, the guji was trained in the ancient ways of Shinto instead of the new teachings that were being taught at the Shinto university in Kyoto, he knew the old knowledge of the duality of fire as the giver of destruction and rebirth. Armed with this knowledge the grandfather went to his granddaughter, told his beautiful Rei about his experience during World War II, how bombs filled with napalm were dropped on Tokyo by the Allies, how the scared pool was used to keep safe the shrine and the sakura trees while the night was turned into day by the conflagration, the hot winds turning buildings into funeral piles. The old man told the teenager of his attempts to help those left alive, their bodies covered by blisters and burned black skin, of finding what he thought were unconscious people only to have their bodies collapse into ashes when he touched them, the smell of cooked flesh saturated the air. He told how the only sakura trees to survive the fire bombings were those at the shrine and at the Emperor's Castle, nothing but charcoal trees and fire-broken stones could be seen from the shrine's entrance. Then came the days of hunger when the survivors of the flames became walking skeletons, feeding off the already dead and those dying. He spoke of how his faith was tested, told his granddaughter of his wife's visions, showing the great air ships bringing the pillars of fire and the angel of mercy. A pain was in his soul when he heard of the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki yet he gave thanks for he knew the people's sufferings were over, a day later he and his wife and their newborn daughter bathed in the sacred pool, to purify their bodies and their souls of the pollution caused by the massive deaths they witnessed. The guji left unsaid the true meaning of what he was telling his miko but it was clear to her, Rei should bathe in the purifying waters of the sacred pool so the water would cleanse her soul of the pollution that prevented her soul from healing. The guji was prepared to withstand his granddaughter's temper, her anger at being ordered like any other member of the shrine's staff but he wasn't ready for her meek acceptance of his unasked counsel, the total lack of fire in her voice left him chilled to the roots of his being.

Quickly the guji approached his granddaughter's closest friend, Tsukino Usagi, to help him. As he explained the purification ritual Rei would be performing, he saw something in her baby blue eyes that told him the teenager felt the sickness in her friend's soul, so he wasn't surprised when she volunteered to help him, it was only later his telephone ringed off its hook with the voices of Rei's other friends volunteering to help in the ritual, the blue-haired Mizuno Ami, the tall Kino Makoto and the flexion beauty Aino Minako.

So on a cold spring morning the guji stood in the shrine's courtyard, halfway between the entrance and the honden hall, waiting patiently for the arrival of Rei's friends. Although his old bones were sensitive to the cold, he refused to wear anything that didn't denote his priestly office, his white kimono and pale blue hakama were made of the finest silk and his tall black hat was stiff with fresh lacquer. The sun had just peeked between the tall buildings of Azabu-ku when he saw the waving-to-and-fore of a brown ponytail, so he called out in a clear voice, "Konnichiwa, Makoto-chan."

"Konnichiwa, ojiichan," a bright voice returned, the head of the owner of the voice first coming in view, her cheeks rosy from the crisp cold and the rest of her body dressed in a pine green kimono decorated with white cranes, her steps making a click-clack sound thanks to the wooden geta (wooden clogs) upon her feet.

"You are doing fine, Makoto-chan," the guji encouraged when he saw how careful she walked.

"I had to practice several hours last night so I wouldn't end up on my oshiri (ass) today," Makoto was quick with a smile.

"I hope you tied a pillow to your backside for additional padding," the guji grinned back.

"I wish I thought of that," Makoto's flushed face showed her embarrassment. It was the friendly give-and-take that had developed between the guji and his granddaughter's friends over the past two years, they called him jiichan and treated him like he truly was their grandfather, in return he attached the –chan honorific to their names and treated them like he had known them when they wore diapers.

The guji laughed but soon he said as he saw Makoto looking about, "You are the first to arrive."

"Gu," Makoto whooshed, "I left my apartment at daybreak so I could get here on time."

"It's good to see how keyed up you are, Makoto-chan," the guji nodded his approval.

"I just hope Usagi-chan gets here on time," apprehension visible on Makoto's face, "she's such a sleep camel and sometimes even Luna-chan's claws won't get her out of bed."

This wasn't the first time the guji heard one of the girls talk about Usagi's pet as a person, he usually chalked it up to normal way kids talked about each other pets and he had seen Minako do the same with her white cat, Artemis, in fact he suspected both cats were related to each other due to the crescent birthmark on their foreheads.

"Konnichiwa, mina," a silky smooth voice drew the guji's attention back to the stone staircase, where a blond-haired girl with idol singers' looks seemed to float into view, her body incased in a golden orange kimono with super-deformed Sailor Vs stitched on it, her baby blues wide with awe, "you won't believe this, I just saw Ami-chan get out of a limo!"

The guji blinked for a moment but Makoto explained, "Ami-chan's okasan is a doctor."

"A specialist?" the guji had heard that those doctors make a lot of money.

"Hai," the blonde replied as she joined them, a little cloth purse hanging from her right hand by its ruby-red purse strings, "Mizuno-sensei is a specialist in childhood diseases and travels a lot to help her patients."

"Ami-chan must be very proud of her okasan na," the guji suggested.

"Ee," Makoto smiled before adding, "So much so that Ami-chan has already decided to become a doctor wa."

"Just like two pigs in a pen," an ear-to-ear-grin on Minako's face.

Makoto put her right hand to her forehead, "Artemis, please claw her."

"Ara?" the guji didn't catch all of Makoto's words, the brunette mentioning of Minako's pet was somewhat confusing, since he saw neither hind nor hair of the white cat.

Those green eyes of Makoto's had the same expression as a deer caught in the headlights but Minako came to her rescue, saying while pointing with her right hand, "Hora-hora! (Look-look!) Ami-chan brought Usagi-chan!"

Three pairs of eyes found a sight to be concern about, Usagi was clinging to Ami's right arm, the petite blonde's eyes held unconcealed terror and the guji could tell why, although her pink kimono limited the length of her steps, her ankles threaten to twist out from underneath her because she couldn't get her geta down right.

"Ne-ne, you can do it, Usagi-chan," Minako bounced up and down on her geta without any problem.

"Go, girl!" Makoto shouted with both hands to her face in blowhorn position.

The guji chuckled to himself although he wasn't laughing at Usagi or getting caught up in the high spirits of Minako and Makoto, it was the look of heaven on Ami's face, her supportive smile and alert blue eyes showed she was enjoying every minute of helping her friend. The elder could also see Usagi's lips constantly moving but it wasn't until the couple got closer that he could hear her words, "I'm not going to mess up, I'm not going to mess up, I'm not going to mess up . . ."

Finally after a suspenseful five minutes, Usagi and Ami joined the others with the odango atama blonde let out a big sigh, "I made it."

"We still have the ritual to do," Makoto pointed out.

"I can do it," determination in Usagi's eyes, her ankles in constant motion, "this is for Rei-chan."

"You both look great in your kimonos," Minako pointed out.

"Arigato!" the twinkle was back in Usagi's baby blues.

"Domo arigato," Ami replied in her downy soft voice.

In the guji's quiet estimation Minako's compliment was only partly true, while Usagi wore a fresh pink kimono with white bunnies on it, it was the perfection of Ami's clothes that caught his eye, her lake blue kimono was embroidered with tiny white seahorses and her blue hair was sculpted in a very traditional look, including a light-blue hair comb.

"So it looks like everyone is here," the guji commented.

"Hai," Usagi agreed although she sounded disappointed and the other girls looked down, the guji saw the same emotion in their eyes.

"Does that mean we're not invited na?" everyone looked in the direction the voice came from, there stood Haruka, Michiru, Hotaru and Setsuna and the dazzle of colors they wore was magnificent. Haruka was in a midnight black kimono that reflected the early morning sunlight, Michiru was in a sea green kimono with stylized ocean breakers upon it, Hotaru was in a candy cane striped kimono and Setsuna was in a lime green kimono with sakura blossoms flowing down its full length.

"MINA!" Usagi shouted like she couldn't contain the joy inside her heart and in an unthinking act, the odango atama blonde bolted from one group of friends to race toward another group of friends. If the situation were different, everyone there would be biting their tongues to keep from laughing as they watched Usagi pitch-and-yaw, first left then right and back to left as she fought to stay on her feet, in the last five feet Usagi lost but Haruka's athletic reflexes allowed her to catch the happy teen, "I'm so happy to see everyone's here to help Rei-chan," her voice thick with emotion.

"Of course we're here, princess," Michiru smiled as she stood on Haruka's right, then lowered her voice so only their group could hear her next words, "Sailor Senshi must stick together, no matter what, right, Haruka?"

Haruka rolled her eyes as she helped Usagi up before saying, "I'm more the pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps," and then she winked at the fellow blonde, "besides I don't like sleeping on the couch."

Michiru made a face but she gently rapped the knuckles of her right hand against Haruka's head, "Ano ne! (Look!) Michiru's already treating me like her husband," a mock compliant in Haruka's voice.

"Be nice, mina," Setsuna admonished as she and Hotaru came up on Haruka's left, "we are here to help Hino-san and her ojiisan."

Everyone was caught off-guard by Usagi pulling Hotaru into a tight hug, and her voice a mix of happiness and guilt, "Hotaru-chan, you look so beautiful, like a Hina Matsuri doll."

True, Hotaru was surprised by Usagi's act but she quickly recovered and returned the hug, "Domo Arigato, Usagi-chan."

Usagi pressed her cheek against Hotaru's hair, "You're feeling fine?"

"Um, I'm fine, Usagi-chan," Hotaru's tone showed she recognized the reason behind Usagi's physical display of affection, ever since Sailor Moon recovered Sailor Saturn's Star Seed from Queen Amaranth and used the Ginzuishou to revive Hotaru, it seemed the blond-haired teen had to touch the dark-haired teen to make sure she was alive and not a ghost, a specter caused by shame.

Then a new thought came to Usagi and she straightened up and looked about, "Where's Dejana-chan?" Now it was the Outers turn to look uneasy except for Hotaru, who looked like she wanted to spit bullets, it was the teen in pink who answered her own question, "I see, Dejana-chan didn't come."

"Dejana-chan disappeared a couple of days ago," Setsuna explained, her purple eyes full of pain.

"You mean Dejana-chan disappeared on the day I left the invitation on your answering machine," Usagi's eyes reflected the same pain.

"We did search for her," Haruka pointed out, an unreadable expression on her face.

"Not hard enou . . ." Hotaru's retort was cut off when Usagi covered the pale teen's lips, all the Sailor Senshi knew Hotaru's opinion about how Dejana had been treated by her adopted parents.

"Don't worry, Hotaru-chan, we'll find Dejana-chan," Usagi's features full of certainty, "but first we need to help Rei-chan ne."

"Hai," Hotaru nodded, as did the rest of the Outers.

Hotaru helped Usagi back across the courtyard to the guji and his group with the other Outers in tow, the elder was only mildly surprised by the addition of new participants but the purification ritual he selected for his granddaughter would accommodate them and in fact, he now wished he had brought a camcorder to film the ritual, who would have thought that his beautiful Rei knew such people like these four, the world famous musician, Kai'ou Michiru, the racecar driver, Ten'ou Haruka, bioengineer, Mei'ou Setsuna and their adopted daughter, Tomoe Hotaru. Instead the elder bowed to the newcomers and said, "Konnichiwa, I'm honored that my mago (grandchild) has so many good friends willing to help her in her hour of need."

Everyone else returned the bow and the good mornings before Haruka said goodnaturedly, "Caught you with your pants down na?"

"Haruka-san," Makoto warned, her eyes flashing green fire.

The guji held up his hand as he chuckled, "It's oke, Makoto-chan, I'm actually glad Usagi-chan was able to find my mago's other acquaintances."

"I presume Rei-chan is preparing herself for the ritual," Setsuna asked.

"Hai, Rei is meditating beside the sacred pool," the guji replied as he took them to a wooden water basin where a bamboo pipe fed crystal-cleared water into it, there are several long handle ladles positioned along the basin's edge. The group took turns washing their hands and rinsing out their mouths while the elder retrieved several branches covered with pink blossoms, after they were done and starting with Usagi, he handed each one a branch.

Usagi stuck her nose in the sakura blossoms and took a deep sniff, "They smell wonderful!" Of course she made this statement before taking her nose out of the flowers and discovered a honeybee on her nose.

Everyone's eyes went wide at the growing terror in Usagi's features except for Ami, the blue-haired wonder just sighed, stepped next to the odango atama blonde and carefully removed the honeybee from her friend's nose with her right hand while saying, "You shouldn't be so afraid, Usagi-chan, honeybees are very sluggish in cold weather like today."

"That's right!" Minako said as she gave Usagi a friendly pat on the back.

"AAAAAA!" Usagi let out as she lost her balance and threw her arms out, nailing both Haruka and Minako in the face, but Makoto was able to close the gap from behind and used both her hands to grab petite blonde around the chest.

"Let's get those geta off your feet, Usagi," Makoto growled as she half-carried her friend toward the honden hall, Hotaru picked up the brunette's sakura branch from the ground and followed them.

"Chikusho (Damn), missed a free feel," Haruka muttered from where Usagi's blow had sent her, flat on her back on the ground, then some surprise came to the shorthaired blonde when her lover crouched next to her and twisted Haruka's nose, "Owe! What's that for, Michiru?"

"Just a reminder that I'm the one who tells you where you can put your nose where," although Michiru was smiling, her tone had an edge to it.

"Yare-yare (Good grief)," Haruka shook her head as she propped herself on her elbows, "and they call me a butch bitch."

"Michiru-san, if you ever give Haruka-san up, I'll take her" Peter Pan mischief dancing in Minako's baby blues, she too was in the same position as Haruka.

Deciding on having a little fun, Michiru threw her arms around Haruka's neck while giving Minako a mock jealous look, "Iie, she's mine!"

In a graceful move Minako rolled onto her knees and held out her right fist, "I'll jan-ken (rock-paper-scissors) for Haruka-san," the tone of her voice showed she was hugely enjoying this farce.

"Do I get a say?" Haruka offered, she liked this new way of flirting.

"Iie!" both Michiru and Minako replied, "We 'know' what you would vote for."

The guji and Setsuna exchanged looks before the elder said, "Does this often happens when everyone gets together?"

"It's a twenty-four-seven job, keeping some order on this herd," Setsuna looked like she wanted to bang her head on something solid.

Ami stood beside Setsuna, the azure teen big eyes locked on the honeybee and a five-alarm blush on her cheeks.

It took a little more time and some patience from the guji and Setsuna to get everyone to the entrance of the honden hall, Usagi sighed as she took off her geta and put them next to her friends' geta, all in a neat roll, "Kami-sama, I'm glad to get those things off," her relief was obvious.

"You still going have to put them back on to get back home," teased Minako as she stood next to Usagi.

"Iie, iie, iie, iie," Usagi frantically shook her head, her long ponytails smacking Minako and anyone else in reach.

"I'll carry you on my back," Makoto offered just to get Usagi to stop from giving everyone hair burns, It worked, Usagi stopped and started to stare out in to space, her right index finger tapped her cheek.

"We'll get back to Usagi-chan," Setsuna tried to keep a respectful tone in her voice as she faced the guji, "Ojiisan, could we go over the ritual so everyone will be familiar with what they need to do?"

The guji went over the ritual, explaining the role of each participant, what she was to do, what words she would use and when to recite them, then he had each person rehearse what they would suppose to do, in this practice run the elder found his granddaughter's friends capable of handling their roles, especially Usagi. The Shinto priest was sure beforehand that he would have to walk the odango atama blonde through the ritual several times due to Rei's constant rants about her friend's propensity of being a romantic airhead, instead only Ami was more focused on the task at hand than the petite blonde.

Giving the assembled group a confident smile, the guji said, "We will begin the ritual."

In-between Setsuna and Michiru, Hotaru held up her hand, the guji acknowledged her gesture and the pale girl asked, "Isn't Rei-kun going to join us?"

"While our part of the ritual will take place here at the honden hall," the guji spoke in a measured voice, "Rei-chan's part of the ritual will take place at the sacred pool."

"When will Rei-chan know it's time to start?" Ami's bright blue eyes showed her curiosity.

"With her psychic powers wa yo!" Minako replied with a wave of her right hand.

"Actually, it's by modern technology," the guji replied as he pulled a cellphone out of his hakama's pocket, there was a burst of stress relieving laughter and a very flush-faced flaxen blonde.

The few clouds in the sky produced a peaceful reflection on the sacred pool, puffs of white surrounded by sky blue surrounded by pink canopy of some of the oldest sakura trees in Tokyo, including the sacred tree. Under the protective leaves of this ancient tree and close by the edge of the pool, there was a cross-legged figure upon an unbleached blanket, a pair of geta just off the blanket and a carefully folded red hakama on it. Like a female Buddha was the person, her eyes closed produced a sincere look upon her face, the white kimono hanging from her shoulders gave her protection against the cold morning air. If this scene had occurred two or just one year ago, then everything outside would reflect the inner calmness of Hino Rei's soul but it did not, what was inside the miko's spirit was paranoia, pure unreasonable fear of what her grandfather asked her to do. Rei knew it was one of Queen Amaranth's minions that laid the trap in the hendon hall for Sailor Mars, who used her connection with the fire kami against her human form and would have succeeded except for Sailor Infinity's intervention, yet she couldn't escape her nightmares, those nights where she screamed in agony as red-orange flames consume her body, her soul falling into the pits of the Christian Hell, where her Catholic teachers have told her all nonbelievers shall burn eternally. Since she was five, Rei had gone to the TA Catholic Girl's School but it wasn't because her father was a Catholic and he decided she should have a Christian education, she stayed there because it was one of the best private schools in Tokyo. They knew she was a miko at her grandfather's shrine, they believed her rejection of Christianity was because of her anger at the way her father treated her mother, they believed she would accept the morale superiority of Christ, they couldn't believe a non-Christian could reach out and touch the rhythm of God's creation.

It was the vibration of the pager in her right hand that snapped her out of her mediation, 'It's decision time,' Rei thought, her feeling of dread coursed through her brain, 'if I don't go through with the purification ritual, I'm not fit to be a miko to the Hikawa Shrine, let alone be my jiichan's successor,' she pressed the button on the pager to let her grandfather know that she received the message, then she brushed the kimono off her shoulders and let the cloth pool at her feet before stepping out it. The cold air caused Rei's body to shiver but she shoved away her hesitation as she walked to the edge of the sacred pool where she crouched down, cupped her hands so she could take a draft of water to her lips and rinse out her mouth, then she washed her hands, she ignored the fact that the water put goose bumps on her goose bumps.

With the first part complete Rei stood up and clapped three times before saying the same words she knew her grandfather was saying at the same moment, "In reverence and awe: The great kami of the purification place who came into existence when the great kami Izanagi deigned to wash and purify himself on the plain of Ahagi east of Tachibana near the River Woto in Himuka in Tsukushi, shall deign to purify and deign to cleanse whatever there may be of sins and pollutions that prevent the soul that stands before you from performing the duties of a miko to the great kami Homusubi, blackness blinded this soul from seeing and speaking as his itako (medium). Listen ye to these my words. Thus, I ask reverently for your aid."

The guji opened his eyes and let his hands fall to his side; he and the girls were inside the honden hall, about twenty feet from the sacred flame. It was unusual for lay people to be inside the honden hall when there was a haiden hall, only those shrines where the two buildings are combined into one, with a partition in the middle of the room to give the kami privacy, would be the worshipers and the kami exists under the same roof. The situation the guji and his granddaughter were in made this important, Rei was the logical choice to be his successor, not only did she have the gift that allowed her to be an itako, in the last twelve years the governing body for the Shinto religion had decided to allow women to be priests once more, so when Rei is twenty-five-years-old, an age when a woman can no longer be a miko, Rei could become a Shinshoku (Shinto priest), most likely the guji of Hikawa Shrine.

In the center of his heart he knew his granddaughter had entered the sacred pool, he knew the shock the icy water would send through her nude body, silently hoping his decision to push his beautiful Rei to do this was the right one, his mind focused on the necessity of the act but his heart knowing the additional suffering she was about to endure, then he nodded toward the girls. It was Usagi who first stepped forth and made the journey to the sacred flame, in her right hand she held the branch covered with sakura blossoms, she stopped just a few inches from the flickering fire, her lips saying the words she had repeated a thousand times in her heart, "In reverence and awe, to the great kami of fire I seek your consideration, to ask you to help my closest friend in her time of need, and in payment for your aid I give a part of my life," Usagi carefully tossed the sakura branch into the fire.

Were his old eyes playing tricks on him, the guji blinked a couple of times to clear the image he saw for a second, a ghostly outline of an angel superimposed upon Usagi, a shining star in her outstretched hand, it was gone by the time Usagi walked a couple steps to the right where she knelt down and faced the fire.

Ami came next, he footfalls in perfect measure so she would arrive at the sacred fire on her thirty-ninth step, her voice echoed the same sincerity he had heard in Usagi's, "In reverence and awe, to the great kami of fire I seek your consideration, to ask you to help my closest friend in her time of need, and in payment for your aid I give a part of my life," like Usagi, Ami carefully tossed the sakura branch into the fire.

The shift in perception came again, the guji caught up in the image that replaced Ami, a young girl with bluish tinted skin and hair that glittered like sapphires, then it was gone and Ami walked to and knelt on Usagi's right side.

It was Makoto's turn to make the trek to the sacred fire, her tall body making the journey with confidence and her voice ringing with power, "In reverence and awe, to the great kami of fire I seek your consideration, to ask you to help my closest friend in her time of need, and in payment for your aid I give a part of my life," there was no hesitation when she give up the sakura branch to the flame.

This time the guji was prepared, he realized something special was happening in front of him, something that only legends spoke of, the image that replaced Makoto was of a young girl with dark brown skin and green hair with the texture of oak leaves, like before the image flickered back to Makoto, who knelt next to Ami.

It would be a mild term to say that Minako showboated her way along the path to the sacred flame, but when she spoke, her words came from her heart, "In reverence and awe, to the great kami of fire I seek your consideration, to ask you to help my closest friend in her time of need, and in payment for your aid I give a part of my life," with a flurry of twirling her outstretched hand, the flaxen blonde deposited the sakura branch into the flame.

This version was the most revealing and the guji wondered if he was going to have a heart attack, such was the goddess beauty of the nude woman before the sacred fire, her body would make monks forget their vows of celibacy and belittle the flowery words of poets.

Setsuna came after Minako, her red eyes showing nothing that was going on inside her soul, her words as calm as a windless winter night, "In reverence and awe, to the great kami of fire I seek your consideration, to ask you to help my closest friend in her time of need, and in payment for your aid I give a part of my life," little wasted energy in the way the green-haired lady placed the sakura branch in the flame.

What this vision showed the guji shivered his soul, there before him was a calk pale woman with bone white hair, her face a cold beauty with eyes as empty as black stars, the elder was afraid, terrified that if she looked at him, his life breath would be sucked out of him.

The youngest of the remaining girls was next to walk to the sacred flame, little Hotaru nervous tone showed a youngster trying really hard not to make a mistake, "In reverence and awe, to the great kami of fire I seek your consideration, to ask you to help my closest friend in her time of need, and in payment for your aid I give a part of my life," Hotaru gingerly placed the sakura branch in the flame.

It was like the yen-yang had come to life, the woman revealed to the guji was half-light-half-dark, one eye the brilliance of a new born sun, the other eye the ending of all things and her small hands held the weapon of destruction and rebirth.

By this time the guji wasn't sure what was going to happen when Michiru approached the sacred flame, the flow of her steps like gentle waves upon a quiet beach, her voice liquid, "In reverence and awe, to the great kami of fire I seek your consideration, to ask you to help my closest friend in her time of need, and in payment for your aid I give a part of my life," her hand gently added the sakura branch to the flame.

Like with the others, Michiru's form was replaced by an ancient woman, her ocean blue hair streaked with white, her green tinted hands thin but muscular, her blue eyes showed merciless reality, the kind a drowning sailor would see.

The last to come before the sacred flame was Haruka, her walk had forthrightness and directness few Nihonjin women would dare show, her voice strong and daring, "In reverence and awe, to the great kami of fire I seek your consideration, to ask you to help my closest friend in her time of need, and in payment for your aid I give a part of my life," her hand tossed the sakura branch into the flame.

It was a man the image revealed to the guji, a warrior in bygone armor of a gold-washed breastplate, his head covered by a steel-capped turban, his arms and legs covered an amber-colored uniform with scarlet pipping, and his right hand held a sabre with its point aimed at the sacred flame, his bearing echoed a challenge.

It was by his knowledge of the ancient teachings of Shinto did the guji know what had transpired before him yet he didn't know why, why did these divine spirits of Nihon enter and merge with the fleshy vessels of these girls, why they take a simple purification ritual and elevate it to a cosmic level by giving a part of their immortal lives to the fire kami, Homusubi, and why was his granddaughter, the most precious person in his old heart, so precious to them?

Rei knew her body was bitter cold because of the chilled water of sacred pool that covered her lower body right up to her navel, but she pushed away the instinct to escape, to bolt, from what was hurting her physically, she stayed because she didn't want to live in a world without the Shinto shine as her home, she stayed because she wanted to reclaim what she had since the day her mother died, the aid of the fire kami. It was with this attitude in mind that brought Rei to once more cup her hands, take handfuls of water and pour them over her head, purifying and freezing her to the bone.

In such a state of being, Rei was sure at first that it was the numbing of her body that made the water feel warm, her body going into the first stage of hypothermia, it was probably a hallucination caused by the same thing that caused the water to take on a reddish hue, she knew fire and water were not the same element yet her hazy mind wondered at the fingers of flame dancing on the wet surface, her wonder turned to dull fear as the flames merged and condensed into a humanoid figure standing before her. The miko's brain wanted to flee, her spirit demanding an end to all her pain and so her body didn't more, Rei stood unmoving as the figure stood in the water just like she did. There wasn't any permanence to the crimson being before the nude teen, its body shifted between male and female, between child and elder, its face only vague features.

The minutes ticked off before Rei realized that the figure was just standing there, staring at her or at least the miko thought it was staring at her, waiting. 'Waiting for what?' Rei wondered then she noticed the water was above her navel. A new fear thundered through her mind for she couldn't feel her legs, her body was slowly sinking. The teen knew now this was what the fire kami was waiting for, Homusubi was allowing her to choose her destiny, either allow her fear of him to kill her own body or conquer that fear by reaching out to him for help. Yes, Rei was sure that it was Homusubi before her but even now she was confused, 'Why doesn't he take me, I couldn't resist him even if I wanted to?' The miko couldn't wait for an answer, the water is lapping just under her breasts told the teen she had little strength left in her body, so with several splashes Rei staggered into the kami.

There was a tiny doubt in Rei's psyche that Homusubi would claim her life, the fired kami would end her existence, the most she expected was a long and torturous road to earn access to the psychic powers given to her by the divine being, what she didn't expect was the sealed part of her mind suddenly thrown open and intense warmth flooded through the aperture, but the warmth that saved her body wasn't the furnace of the sun. The miko had felt this warmth from her memories, the memory of her mother holding her, the memory of her grandfather consoling her after she left her father.

So many seekers search for what Rei was experiencing right now, they walk the path of enlightenment all their lonely life but don't find it, they want to find that moment in their life where they are one with the universe, where the pea soup fog that enshrouds reality is lifted, yet the feelings she sensed coming from Homusubi shamed Rei. Since her seventh birthday, the year her mother died, the year she grew to hate her father, it was in that year she began her meditations before the sacred fire, and on a hot summer day the great fire kami came to her and the new miko had her first vision. Beginning then and continuing to this day Hino Rei was known as the Itako no Hikawa Jinja, a miko of special abilities, but in her obsession to upstage her father and to blaze with arrogance at her Christian school, Rei misused her relationship with the kami and she now knew why Queen Amaranth's minion was so successful. The trap triggered the great fire kami's resentment at being treated as a tool, something to be used from time to time.

Rei's body was fully awake, the icy deadness of the water pushed away by Homusubi's warmth, but the violet-haired girl had to know what she felt was actually true, so her astral body entered the aperture.

'I hurt you,' Rei heard the words in her head much like when Usagi as Sailor Moon would call out to Rei as Sailor Mars.

'I hurt you too,' Rei thought back, trying hard to convey her feeling of shame.

'I shouldn't have hurt you,' the voice in her head was male, Rei didn't know how she knew this but she did.

'I took you for granted, I treated you as an object,' if nothing else, the days after the fire had melted away her arrogance, her screaming repeatedly in Minako's arms and her psychological implosion when she couldn't activate her Mars powers taught her humility.

'I lost control of my temper.'

'I was at fault.'

'I almost murdered you.'

'I'm your miko, I'm your itako and I'm not your master.'

'Are you sure that is all you are to me?' Rei was a little surprised by the question but mostly because of its directness.

'Iie,' Rei had noticed the pattern of self-incrimination her and Homusubi's words had followed.

'When you first touch my mind, I was astonished by your youth.'

'You have had children as itako before.'

'Not one who just learned to walk.' Rei inhaled sharply and had to calm her mind immediately to keep the mental link stable.

'Nanto (How?)?' Like most people, Rei had few memories of her early childhood.

'Your okasan and your ojiisan brought you to the sacred flame,' Indeed, Rei knew it would be something her mother and her grandfather would do.

'You accepted me then?' Rei was sure of the answer but she wanted to be sure.

'Hai, I did.'

'Naze no? (Why?)?' Again Rei wanted confirmation of the feelings she was sensing from Homusubi.

'Because of the strength of your abilities but later I strengthened the connection between us, when I found you were as lonely as I.'

'Lonely?'

'You had your ojiisan and you had Kaido-san but a child can't survive without the love of her parents.'

'You deepened the bond between us when I was seven?'

'Hai, I did.'

'You choose to become my nazukeoya (godfather).'

Rei felt a crackle of laughter from Homusubi, 'Honto wa zo (Truly!)' then a more somber sensation came with the next words, 'At least, it was at first.'

'But why do you feel lonely?' The miko knew the legends surrounding Homusubi.

'No other kami can touch me without dying, just as my okasan died when she gave me birth.' Rei sensed the aloneness in that statement.

'You are touching me.'

'This is just a fingertip of my being you are feeling,' amusement in Homusubi.

'Then the fire that almost killed me, it was caused because all of you came to me.'

'Hai,' in that one word a wave of guilt and self-loathing filled Rei's being.

These emotions, these words, they scorched Rei's body with her own feelings, her silent words asking, 'Your rage came out of the love you feel for me?'

'Because of the flame inside of you, a tiny bit of me could touch you without killing you,' it was as Rei thought, even as a child her being the reincarnation of Sailor Mars allowed Homusubi to bond with her at a level no other itako could reach.

'I was frightened afterwards, the flames burned my soul,' then Rei added, 'I felt betrayed.'

'I was at fault, I withheld my thoughts from yours because my being could kill so easily,' more guilt, more self-loathing in Homusubi's words.

'Do you still love me?' It was time for the million-dollar-question.

'Hai and I always will,' there was no illusion or hidden meaning, the flame that surrounded Rei's body and the flame in her own heart knew the truth.

It was decision time once more for Rei, long ago she had told Sailor Moon and the other Sailor Senshi that as long as she had their love she needed no one else, in her opinion a man's love was a four-letter word, yet here was a male divine being confessing his love to her, a companion who had always been there to help her. Rei didn't want to be like her father, a man who used people as pawns to further his own political career, or like Kaido-san, a man whom she thought as a kindred spirit but in the end he was just like her father, and it stick in Rei's craw that she had done the same thing to the great fire kami. It would be so easy for the sixteen-year-old to just accept the entity's apology just as he accepted her admission of guilt and go back to the relationship they had before, miko to kami, itako to the great fire kami, but she knew it would be unfair to both of them. Over the years she had described to Usagi and the others the contentment, the peace and the happiness that filled her soul each time she was in perfect harmony with Homusubi, Rei now knew she subconsciously avoided using the one word for the feeling she felt for the kami, love.

'Ai shite'ru yo (I love you),' then Rei broke the bindings of her soul to her body.

Rei was taking a calculated risk, she knew her body vulnerable to Homusubi's fiery nature but would her own fiery nature, her soul being Sailor Mars' soul, allow her to be with her lover. The miko's astral senses revealed a world like the core of a sun, she was a match flame in an unchained inferno but nothing harmed her, her being tenderly wrapped by the love she shared with Homusubi.

'Is this the kind of love Usagi and Mamoru share, an eternal love that knows no end?'

'When Amaterasu-sama allowed Queen Serenity to use the Ginzuishou to give her daughter and her court a second chance to live and find love, I didn't understand it, so empty of love was my life, but now I do.'

How do you measure time when nothing changes, where there is no sun or moon, where there are no blossoming flowers or falling leaves, when the peace and the contentment and the happiness Rei experienced was unwavering, so the miko was startled when Homusubi told her, 'It is time for you to return, beloved.'

'Ara?' Rei was confused, 'But I'm dead.'

'Iie,' Rei felt the reluctance in her lover's thoughts, 'the Ginzuishou still binds your soul to your body.'

'I don't want to go,' aching desire in Rei's soul, 'I won't leave you.'

'Do not fret, Akahoo (Red Phoenix), you now know how to come here,' gentle assurance coming from Homusubi, 'besides my domain is now your domain.'

'Akahoo,' Rei thought the name with wonder for she knew the implications of what Homusubi had just done, by giving Rei another name the great fire kami had taken her as his consort.

'Until the next moment I can hold you, Sayonara.'

'Sayonara, anata (darling).'

Everything was gone and Rei sucked in a ragged breath, her eyes blink open where she found herself once more in the sacred pool, but there was something strange for she found two black-gloved hands embracing her around the waist, her body in someone's lap and strands of indigo hair gave her chest a veil of modesty, the miko didn't need to see the face that rested against her left cheek to know who was her protector, "Domo arigato, Sailor Infinity," gratitude in Rei's voice.

"Ano . . ." Sailor Infinity's head popped up and she blinked, "Sumimasen, I must've been more tired than I thought," the note of concern was there in the Senshi's voice but it was the purplish tint of the air around them that spoke a thousand words to Rei.

"Let's get going, Dejana-san," Rei wiggled off the black-white clad warrior's lap only to regret it immediately, "KYA! That's cold!" Quickly Rei splashed her way toward the shore, then she looked up and found Sailor Infinity was walking on the water's surface, the purple globe on the end of her staff and the matching gem around her neck were glowing bright, "Ni . . . nice tri . . . trick," the violet-haired miko shivered.

Rei was sure her little joke would get a smile from Sailor Infinity, something to show Dejana that Rei had taken the first step on the road to full recovery, it would take all the love from her friends and her beloved to keep her on the path but she had faith in making it, a faith she would never again fail in her duty as Sailor Mars nor her responsibilities as Homusubi's consort, yet the miko felt concern when the white-black clad warrior ignored her jest and once she reached the shore, the Sailor Senshi picked up a white towel, saying, "Let's get you dried off before you catch a cold."

Sailor Infinity stood behind Rei so to dry her comrade's violet hair, while the miko vigorously rubbed some heat into her body with the towel, but it was the glint of red that stopped her cold, there on her ring finger was a band of red crystal, it was so beautiful to Rei, the sparkle of morning light from the multifaceted circle made her heart giddy. There was a lapse in her iron will that allowed the miko to spin around and faced Dejana, but her excitement died when she saw the misery on her companion's face.

"Gomen nasai, Rei-chan," the beginning of tears in Dejana's amethyst orbs, "why is it I can't protect any of you," her hands clutch the damp towel to her chest, "why must everyone pay for . . ."

White shock blew Dejana's self-accusations from her mind, the salty dew on her eyelashes forgotten thanks to Rei lips pressed against her lips. To Sailor Infinity there was nothing lustful or erotic about the kiss, it was soft, gentle, caring.

Very carefully Rei made sure none of her nude body touched Sailor Infinity's body, she wanted the kiss to communicate the right message, then the miko pulled back and she had to take a breath to get enough air to say, "No one is at fault, Dejana-chan," Rei emphasized the honorific, "we are all still young girls learning to be adults, let alone Sailor Senshi," then her right hand squeezed Dejana's left arm, "this means you too."

Not checking to see if her words penetrated her companion's mind, Rei walked to her where her clothes laid and put them on, after she slipped on her red hakama, the miko looked where she left Sailor Infinity and when their eyes met, the violet-haired teen found understanding in those deep eyes, then the fuku-suited warrior held her staff above her head and she commanded, "Sailor Teleport."

When the outline of Sailor Infinity disappeared along with the purple light, Rei folded up the blanket she had used and turned to walk up the path to the honden hall but she stopped when she found her grandfather seated on the enormous root of the sacred sakura tree, a neutral expression on his ancient face.

After his and Rei's friends part of the ritual was over, giving enough time so each had a private moment to reflect on what was happening, the guji politely excused himself from them before he quickly walked down the path which led to the scared tree and the scared pool. The elder priest had just reached the ancient sakura tree when he stopped dead at the sight of Rei nearly jumping out of the sacred pool in her haste to get out while a black-and-white clad woman followed his granddaughter, her steps producing rings upon the water's surface. After what already happened this morning, the guji was only mildly surprised by the appearance of a Sailor Senshi, since their appearance two years ago the Hikawa Jinja seemed to become the nexus of their activities in Tokyo, even some of the shrine's more curious worshipers have asked him if there was a connection between this holy place and the female fighters. His answers to those questions were always the same: he didn't know but he blessed their existence since they have saved so many lives, unspoken were his observations of the Sailor Senshi amongst the shrine's sakura trees or when he would find one or two of them pulling the thick hemp rope to ring the shrine's bell and give a silent prayer before the honden hall, especially the crimson-suited soldier whom the media identified as Sailor Mars. He sat on the sacred tree's root and watched his granddaughter dry off with the help from the other young woman, his interest was perked because he didn't recognize the Sailor Senshi but there was something he was familiar with, the downbeat expression on the black-white clad warrior's face, it had been on his granddaughter's face for the pass several months.

The guji's shaggy eyebrows went up when excitement bloom on Rei's face and she turned to the Sailor Senshi, his eyes concentrated on the warrior's face as its unhappiness fractured and her lips blabber words the priest couldn't hear, then he swallowed his tongue when his granddaughter kissed the taller girl. Should he clear his throat, should he just keep on watching, only interfere if things get too serious, the elder couldn't make up his mind but then he didn't have to because Rei broke the kiss and walked away from the fuku-suited fighter.

While Rei dressed, the guji kept his eyes on the Sailor Senshi, he watched as the warrior's right hand touched her lips, the short staff crookedly held and about to fall from the hand, the elder was close enough to see the battle of thoughts going on in those amethyst eyes, then something kicked behind those mysterious eyes, a determined look was there when his granddaughter finished dressing and she looked at the black-white soldier, no words spoken, no gestures made, just a shared gaze before the indigo-haired teen held up the staff and she shouted, "Sailor Teleport!" Twain purple glows from the globe on the staff and one from the heroine's chest joined as one, then the image turned into an outline before it flicked out.

Now with grandfather and granddaughter facing each other, Rei spoke first, "How did your part of the ritual go off, ojiichan," a little frown on her lips as she continued to walk to him, "I hope Usagi-chan didn't mess up."

"Actually," the guji stood, his bones going snap, crackle and pop, "your friends performed the ritual with some interesting results."

Unsure at what her grandfather meant, "You mean the Sailor Senshi?" assumed Rei as the two begin to walk up the path.

"Oi, she just an addition to the visitors we've had today," then the guji gave his granddaughter a sly look to match the mystified look she gave him, "although that smooch you gave her was a hoot."

"Ojiichan," an edge to Rei's otherwise respectful tone.

"Na, think of the publicity we'll get if the miko of Hikawa Jinja came out of the closet," there were grins in the guji's voice.

"Ojiichan," Rei snarled the words out, "I'm not a doseiai no onna (same-sex-love-woman)!"

"And I could proudly tell the media about your good taste in girlfriends," the guji acted like he hadn't heard his miko's denial, "with Makoto-chan as an otachi (a bull dyke) and Ami-chan as a nenne (a girly girl) as bookends."

"Moooo," Rei screwed her eyes closed and you could see her lips silently counting to ten.

"Then there's Usagi-chan," Rei's eyes flew open and a nasty look appeared on her face as she listened to her grandfather's words, "she has a boyfriend but it could be explained that she's a . . ."

"Ojiisan," Grandfather knew he had activated the wrath of Rei when she went all formal, "if you do any thing you have just described to me, I will march back to the sacred pool and drown myself."

"Oi," the guji rubbed his chin, "that wouldn't be good," then he grinned at Rei, "I'm glad to see my beautiful Rei-chan is back."

Rei's long sigh was very loud and her grandfather's chuckle was there too, then the elder's amusement was cut short when he saw the ring of red on Rei's finger. The guji stared at the crystal band and everything that happened during the ritual and the appearance of the black-white Sailor Senshi made complete sense for he knew the name of the ring, Kamiai (Kami Love). In the legends surrounding Amaterasu, the goddess of the sun and the progenitor of the Royal Family of Nihon, there are three sacred items: a sword, a mirror and a necklace of perfect gemstones, but the guji had seen some of the ancient text and he knew the words used to describe the necklace could be interpreted as a necklace of gem rings, much as in feudal times coins had holes so they could be stringed into necklaces. It meant that a kami had taken his granddaughter as a lover, maybe even as a consort much as Amaterasu's son had done.

"Ojiichan?" Rei's questioning tone jerked the guji out his deep thoughts to find he had stopped walking and his granddaughter was ahead of him, stopped, half-turned and looking back at him.

"Gomen," the guji said as he hurried to catch up with her, they walk away silently before he asked, "So when do I get to meet your kore (lover)," he raised his right fist with the thumb up, the nail facing the violet-haired teen.

"Ojiichan!" Rei put her red face inches away from her grandfather's face, her arms stiff and her fists clinch.

"Just checking, just checking, " the guji not fazed by his miko's renowned temper, he walked several steps further as she glared twin daggers at his back before he stopped and turned around, his voice benevolent, "As long as he makes you happy, that is all I care about."

Rei's face softened and a girlish blush was on her cheeks as she walked up next to him, then she said softly, "Domo arigato gozaimasu."

"We better hurry or your friends will begin to wonder," the elder suggested.

Rei nodded and the two continued up the path, only a couple of minutes passed before the quiet morning air was filled with one word from one shrill voice, "RIE-CHAN!"

The sound of two heads colliding together could be heard.

Notes: These are the original notes I placed at the end of the story, I leaving them here.

Kami-sama, Dejana-san, I didn't think this gift story would end up so long but once my creative juices got going and my wish to pack into the story as much information about Nihonjin culture and Sailor Moon manga canon as I could without it getting bogged down.

Plotline: As I said before, the purification ritual is the core of this story and I wanted to show the mystical nature of this ritual to you so when you use this ritual in your story or create your own, you have good understanding of its importance. Besides the ritual washing of the hands and the rinsing of the mouth, the rest of the purification ritual can vary from region to region. What I tried here was to create one that matched Hikawa Jinga. As for what happened before the ritual and what happened after the ritual, this was to give you more information about the characters that I have gained from the manga (I will freely admit that I couldn't pass up the chance of having Sailor Infinity make an appearance)

Characters:

Guji/Rei's grandfather: All of the background material I show here was created by me. The manga gives us absolutely no information on Rei grandfather's past, but what I presented here would most likely be what happened to him during WWII, because of the fire bombing, the war in general and the aftermath, many Shinto shrines were abandoned because either the family was wiped out or the there was a loss of faith, the information I give here about the fire bombing and the mass starvation is accurate. Rei's grandfather likes to tease his granddaughter and he quite often asked Rei's friends if they would like to become miko at the shrine.

Rei: Rei's relationship with her grandfather and her father is presented here just as it is presented in the manga. Her grandfather varies between the Shinto priest who gives wise counsel to his miko and the elder who likes to tease his granddaughter and her friends. On the other hand Rei has nothing but hate for her father, she doesn't make her feelings public about her father but she blamed him for her mother's death, her hatred is so strong that she left her father to live at the shrine. I'm making a wild guess of her father's religious background, mostly based on the fact that one of Rei's parents had to be Catholic for her to go to a Catholic Girl School (I doubt the mother was a Christian). Because of her experience with her father and with another man, Rei has become a certified man hater, she repeatedly warned Usagi about trusting Mamoru and she described men as liars and untrustworthy. Remember Rei is the Senshi of War.

Usagi: Yes, even in the manga Usagi is very clumsy.

Makoto: Makoto is the most physical of the Inners. Like in the anime she is a great cook and has a green thumb when it comes to plants. Makoto is the Senshi of Thunder.

Ami: Unlike the anime, Ami is the rich kid of the Sailor Senshi, her mother is a high price doctor and the two live in a penthouse at the top of a fifteen-storied apartment complex. Ami doesn't dazzle people with her mother's wealth and she usually dress very practical. Ami is the Senshi of Science.

Minako: Since we are here dealing with a character that had her own manga series (Code Name Sailor V) before Naoko created Sailor Moon, Minako is a very complex character. Minako is the captain of the Sailor Senshi, so when Sailor Moon is unavailable, Sailor Venus is in charge (although convincing Haruka and Michiru of this fact does take some work). At time Minako acts like a seasoned veteran while at other times she will out ditz Usagi and act like a trendy girl (also she will activate her Sailor V persona from time to time). Minako also takes very serious her role as the Senshi of Love (Naoko has placed her with some of the Inners in very suggestive poses).

Haruka: Haruka is very tomboyish, she is very much in love with Michiru but that doesn't stop her from flirt with the other girls (in the manga she even kissed Usagi twice). Haruka is the Senshi of the Sky.

Michiru: Michiru is very feminine and she is very much in love with Haruka, she does flirt from time to time with other men but nothing like Haruka does with the girls. Michiru is the Senshi of the Sea.

Hotaru: In the manga Hotaru is the leader of the Outers when Minako isn't available (which could mean she might led the Sailor Senshi if either Usagi or Minako are unable). Hotaru's intelligence is close to Ami's although her worldly experience is less than the others. Hotaru is the Senshi of Silence.

Setsuna: If there is a balance between intelligence and worldly experience, it is with the oldest of the Sailor Senshi. The main problem for Setsuna is she can't always act on her knowledge because she knows that for the others to develop, she must allow them to make their own decisions. Setsuna is the Senshi of the Underworld.

Dejana: What can I say that I have already said to you, I find your OC/SI to be a very well-balanced character, one who has the potential of becoming a great character, so KEEP ON WRITING.


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